Customer Reviews

Method Man

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I honestly did not know what I was getting into as I began to read Method Man, by Method Man, Sanford Greene and David Atchison. As one who generally does NOT read comic books or anything of that style, I must say that this was a pleasant surprise and has me wanting to read more in the world of the cocky private eye, Peerless Poe.

Poe, is a direct descendant of Cain, the first son of the earth, which enables him to pull out a spiritual and physical strength and rage from within that is truly out of this world. He finds himself unwillingly pulled into working alongside two members of the "Order of the Sacred Method," a society he was once a part of but could not follow their rules and restrictions. A true vigilante at heart, the society calls on him for help as they fight to conquer Lilith, who seeks to connect a tower from the hell below to the heavens above. She knows that she must first destroy the Sons of Cain as they had thwarted her plans in the days of long ago in their attempt to atone for the sins of Cain, the world's first murderer.

With a VERY original storyline, absolutely great black and white graphics and humor sprinkled throughout the story, I highly recommend this book and give it two thumbs up. As one that does not generally read comic books I really enjoyed this one and definitely want to read more about Peerless Poe aka Method Man.

Reviewed by Coulee Eidos
APOOO BookClub

And you honestly have to give Method Man the most credit for that. The art was okay, but not great and the writting was nothing special. I've purchesed bargain comics from Half-Priced Books that have better dialogue and pacing. I have to blame both the writer and artist for that.

If you say that this is a great comic you'd be lying to yourself. Even Method Man himself said he didn't like it, read the interviews.

I will have to say it's got me hungry the GZA and Ghostface's graphic novels and I'll try out Method's next gc to see if it has gotten any better. This is what the Wu-tang should be doing right now, writing and making movies.

The story is intriguing at times, but falters in much of its' dialogue. The flow of panelling and the graphic storytelling is quite nice. However, the artwork is very sketchy and loose and looks more like the "roughs" for a comic book than the completed project. It was a bit of a disappointment that the artwork was in black+white considering the price. Overall, it it not a bad book, but Sanford Greene's artwork has been much stronger on other titles.

Method Man is a graphic novel. That is important because the impact of the story depends as much or more on the visuals as on the words. The premise of the novel is original. Poe, the protagonist is a direct descendant of Cain. As a result he has access to vision that includes the spiritual world, and to a rage that give him berserker strength. Poe had been a member of the Order of Sacred Method but left because he found their rules too restrictive. He continues the campaign again the abhorents-monsters and the like who hate humanity, but on his terms. The Order comes to him with the news that the mother of all abhorents (literally) is on the loose and looking to destroy the Order before taking on Heaven itself.

The graphic part of the novel is drawn in a loose style, which goes well with the story. It is done in black and white without some of the confusing framing of some graphic novels. Much of the characters' emotions are hinted at with a few lines. I found the gestalt of word and image worked well for this novel.

I would have loved to seen the story developed a bit more. There are hints at some interesting sidelines that would have been great to explore in more detail. If you are looking for a complex and gripping storyline, this is not the book for you. If you would like a simple story with some great art to accompany it, than The Method Man is for you.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed this reviewer's comments and then decide for yourself.

Hip hop musician Method Man also reputedly has one of the largest comic book collections in existence. He's been aggressive in his music - performing and producing - and has a career going in movies and television. He's also decided to expand his horizons by creating a graphic novel called, naturally, METHOD MAN.

Written by David Atchison and illustrated in black and white by Sanford Greene, METHOD MAN focuses on the adventures of Peerless Poe, a private eye specializing in supernatural cases. The premise immediately made me thing of Steve Niles's Cal MacDonald stories, but Peerless Poe is his own breed of cat.

I don't know how much Method Man contributed to the comic, but it starts off with a bang. Peerless Poe searches for a monster that killed one of the local kids and the action turns utterly savage within just a few short pages. The introduction to Peerless's world is an in-your-face blast that gives the artist a chance to show off his skilz.

The graphic novel takes some liberties with the story, like bringing in Peerless's mentor in the middle of a huge fight that our hero just can't win, but the book is all in fun. Superhero action arrives and is over the top, but I kept turning pages and settled back to enjoy the read. The villainess of the adventure - Lilith, mother of demons - gets a cameo, a brief intro, and states the goal she's after: to eliminate the sons of Cain.

See, Peerless is one of the sons of Cain, the original murderer in the Old Testament. In Peerless's world, the sons of Cain are cursed to take up the lifelong battle against the supernatural forces of darkness. Of course, those forces of darkness also swear eternal vengeance against the sons of Cain.

The story plunges right to the meat of the matter in this struggle, and the backstory comes in a few pages that build the characters of Peerless and his mentor Grand Occisor John Albeit. The dialogue is cutting and quick, but has the instant ring of familiarity. Long-time readers have seen this played out before, but it always works.

After Peerless turns down the offer to help find Lilith's lair and end the latest threat she's posing to the world, he of course gears up and decides to do the mission anyway. Of course. The story isn't deep, but it is satisfying and meet the expectations of character and convention.

Greene's art is an interesting blend of manga and freehand that manages to work the black and white format for all it's worth. The panels are large and the action plays huge. He lays out crowded panels showing streets scenes with apparently the same ease he has at delineating the action sequences that focus primarily on the characters.

METHOD MAN doesn't recreate the graphic novel genre in any way whatsoever, but it shows a definite love and understanding of what comics readers want. With the combination of martial arts and hip hop street roots infusing the hero, this is a book that should interest fans of Method Man's music as well as traditional comics readers.

It's a cool graphic novel based on a lot of Wu Mythology, good art, nice fight scenes.

Not too many chicks read comic books, but I am one of them. Being a Wu Tang fan...I will cop anything. And I think it was an awesome idea for Mef to drop this!!! Hopes that he keeps on with this!!! Great book! :)

the seeds of ghettoManga were laid back when Wu-Tang Clan first dropped Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) circa 1993, with it's heady mix of radio-unfriendly beats, grimy street life stories, and massive roster of emcees who clearly consumed more cartoons, comics and kung-fu flicks than the recommended daily allowance! my first exposure to the Wu was the video for M.E.T.H.O.D. Man, which starts out by naming the Clan members one by one. i immediately said to myself, "These guys need to be in comics!"

When Wu-Tang was at the height of their popularity, heads were clamoring for a Wu-Tang comic, which they did with the 1999 effort, Nine Rings of Wu-Tang. only problem being, it was wack... Nine Rings took place in a fantasy setting, not the Staten Island hood their music grew out of, and the characters bore little resemblance to the Clan we knew and loved... i mean, why didn't they just take these guys as-is and throw them into supernatural circumstances, creating a comic firmly grounded in their ghetto appeal?
well that's exactly what they did in the new 96 page OGN Method Man, from Grand Central Publishing. like that video that turned me on to Wu-Tang so long ago, this book takes advantage of the grimy, hood texture of the Ticalion Stallion. Method hooked up with David Atchison (Occult Crimes Taskforce (Oct) (vol. 1)) and Sanford Greene (ArtXilla Tasty Treats, Army of Darkness)to create a a tale that mostly satisfies where previous Wu comics let me down. the new joint casts Method as a disgraced and exiled member of an order of killer priests who uses his arcane skills to keep the hood safe from things that go bump in the night. while the book is far from perfect, i feel safe saying that if this kinda book had come out back when Wu held hip hop in their hand, it would'a been a home run! as it is, the Method Man creative team turned out a book that would make a great movie... you can't ask more from a graphic novel than that! COP IT!
holla!

-ghettoManga
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

A member of the renowned Wu-Tang Clan, Grammy award-winning solo artist, and acclaimed actor, Method Man teams with renowned comic artist Sanford Greene, and comic and screenplay writer David Atchison to create for DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Upper Deck, and many more.

METHOD MAN is the story of an ancient evil and of unfathomable perverse powers, whose intent is to destroy mortal realms and anything beyond. The advent of such potential destruction needs a hero. Alas, there is one; the story's only hope, down and out private detective, Peerless Poe. Poe, with his taste for booze and marijuana, and his constant invitation to danger, has nothing to lose; in fact he is primed to do battle. Once an ousted member of the Order of the Scared Method, Poe is now being sought to fight against what is becoming a major threat; creatures left from the early days of creation: Nephilim, Rogue Spirits, Giants, Golems, Leviathans and anything derived from them. This clandestine threat wears a woman's face and wields dark energies capable of destroying normal men. But Peerless is not normal; he possesses the wrath of the world's first killer, Cain. And, as such, he is an example of a cure that is as detrimental as the curse.

The flow, of the story, the terminology, and the graphic nature are not offensive, but the artwork has an unfinished edginess. METHOD MAN has intriguing moments especially for a comic book. It introduces a rougher, more urbanized kind of hero. But readers will feel the action and will be entertained.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers